Kinkisharyo to move U.S. headquarters

Kinkisharyo International Inc. is moving its U.S. headquarters from Massachusetts to El Segundo, Calif., in part, it says, because the market for its products in the Los Angeles basin looks particularly promising for years to come.

The company, currently based in Westwood, Mass., hopes to complete the transition by this autumn. Kinisharyo International is the U.S. subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd.

"We are moving our U.S. headquarters because we believe in Los Angeles and believe that this location will give us great opportunities to grow our business," Teiji Tani, president of Kinkisharyo International, said in an email to local media.

Last month, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) exercised two options to an earlier contract with Kinkisharyo ordering 97 light rail transit cars for use on LACMTA's Crenshaw/LAX Line and to supplement and replace LA Metro's existing LRT fleet.

The company also seeks to tap the growing U.S. market for streetcars, marketing its ameriTRAM dual-power streetcar (shown in photo above) to U.S. transit properties in recent years, so far without visible result.